PICTURED: Cristian Pando, left, and Bryce Parra celebrate Parra's 84-yard KOR TD Friday at Bulldog Bowl.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
Relying on the law of averages isn't typically advisable -- especially at the casino. But considering three of the last four meetings between the Artesia Bulldogs and Hobbs Eagles had resulted in an average of 98 total points and a margin of victory of just 12, a betting man could've done worse than assume Friday's 2025 home opener at Bulldog Bowl would wind up a barn burner.
And so it was. But after a little second-half rain shower arrived to put it out, it was the Bulldogs who were left standing, overcoming a halftime deficit to outscore Class 6A Hobbs four touchdowns to two and take this year's Eddy-Lea Marathon, 51-41.
Both squads opened the contest spot testing one another's defenses. Artesia's senior running back, Bryce Parra, broke a big run to start before senior QB Derrick Warren began passing his way into the Eagle red zone. The drive would end, however, after what would've been a conversion catch on fourth and three was ruled out of bounds. It looked as though the Bulldog D would hold Hobbs scoreless as well on their opening series, but on fourth and 16 from the Artesia 33, Eagle quarterback Junior Medrano found Joshua Ortiz wide open behind the defense to give Hobbs a 7-0 head start.
The 'Dogs were held out of the Eagle end zone again on their final possession of the first quarter but got points on the board off the foot of kicker Corbyn Dominguez, who launched a 47-yard field goal through the uprights with 1:48 on the clock. Artesia then proceeded to log its first momentum-shifter of the night, courtesy of the Orange Crush, when senior corner Tootie McNeil picked a Conlin McCool pass at the Hobbs 46. The Bulldogs were unfortunately bumped back to their own 32 by a pair of penalties on the play, but they'd score on third and goal from the one after Jack Byers followed Marco Soto and Chris Aguilar out of the rhino package and into the end zone to give the 'Dogs their first lead, 10-7, with 9:02 to go in the half.
PICTURED: Jack Byers dives over the goal line for a one-yard touchdown.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
It would be short lived, as Eagle RB Demarcus Hill went up the middle and over the 100-yard mark for an 83-yard touchdown one play later. But the boys in orange wasted no time responding. Parra got the ball rolling with a big kick return, making several Eagles miss before running over his final barrier to reach the Hobbs 38. A nine-yard pass from Warren to Sawyer Whitehead later, Parra was at it again, bursting up the middle and fighting off a strip attempt that sent his armband flying instead to carry Artesia to the Eagle nine. They'd regain the advantage on another Byers one-yard run at the 5:37 mark, then widen the gap just over two minutes later when Edel Villa stripped the ball from Medrano, then swung around to collect it off the turf and sprint 61 yards to paydirt to put the 'Dogs up 23-14.
Hobbs was able to orchestrate the game's fourth lead change prior to the break, however, starting with a 35-yard TD run by Hill with 2:20 to go. A fumble on Artesia's ensuing series saw the 'Dogs punting from their own four, and that set up a one-play, 24-yard touchdown drive for the Eagles on a pass from Medrano to Braddock Beaty that set the halftime score at 28-23.
PICTURED: Edel Villa hits the end zone with a 61-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
The Bulldogs needed another big play to tip the scales back in their direction, and what they got while they waited was a stellar third quarter from the Crush.
The Artesia D stymied all three of Hobbs' series in the period, starting with a turnover on downs despite a short field for the Eagles from their own 49. They'd then force a pair of three-and-outs, giving the offense the time it needed to overcome a long missed field-goal attempt and secure the go-ahead score. Parra jump-started that effort with a 68-yard run that saw him go over 100 for the second consecutive game, and Warren would find Byers from four yards out for the touchdown with 3:06 to go in the quarter. A missed conversion attempt left the score at 29-28.
Hobbs interjected one final time as the fourth quarter began, swapping leads again on a 10-yard TD run by Medrano. The PAT was blocked by Charlie Campbell to keep the margin at five, 34-29. But Artesia needed less than a minute to answer, moving from their own 27 to the 47 and from there to the Hobbs 36 on passes from Warren to Jett Fuentes and Cael Houghtaling, respectively, before Parra left the Eagle defense behind on a 36-yard touchdown sprint. This time, the conversion attempt -- a jump pass from Byers to Julian Baeza in the end zone -- was successful, making it 37-34 'Dogs with 10:53 left in the game.
PICTURED: Juju Baeza jumps to bring in a Jack Byers pass for the two-point conversion.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
PICTURED: Bryce Parra eyes the defense during a 36-yard TD run.
(Photo by Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
The Eagles' ensuing series was interrupted for a half-hour by a lightning delay, but it resumed with the Crush forcing a punt from the Hobbs five. The Bulldogs then took advantage of the short field, scoring again on a 24-yard pass from Warren to Parra to expand the lead to 10, 44-34. The Eagles weren't about to throw in the towel, making one last trip of their own to the end zone on a 21-yard toss from Medrano to Beaty that cut the gap back to three, 44-41, with 3:53 still remaining. But on the ensuing kickoff, Parra would put the nail in the coffin. After faking a handoff, the senior darted first up the home sideline, then back to midfield, where he proceeded to shed a pair of tackles en route to an 84-yard KOR touchdown that set the final, 51-41, with 3:34 to go.
Dominguez ensured the door was shut with a slam, recovering his own pooch kick seconds later. All that remained from there was securing a final first down and taking a knee.
The 'Dogs and Eagles combined for more than 800 yards of offense on the evening, 396 from Artesia and 442 from Hobbs. Warren finished 23 of 36 passing for 244 yards and two touchdowns, while Parra was 18-174 rushing and 2-32 receiving with a score apiece, in addition to the kick return. Byers led receiving with five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown to go with his two rushing scores. Hill was 13-203 rushing with two touchdowns for the Eagles and Medrano nine of 20 passing for 178 yards and three TDs.
The Bulldogs will close out their brief-yet challenging pre-district schedule this week against a third top-tier 6A opponent: Centennial. The Hawks are currently 1-1 following an opening loss to Cleveland (55-42) and a win Friday versus Atrisco Heritage (49-6). Tickets for the 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, bout at Bulldog Bowl can be purchased now at Artesia's GoFan site.
STAT BOX
SCORING SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
Hobbs- Joshua Ortiz 33-pass from Junior Medrano (Braddock Beaty kick good), 3:17
Artesia- Corbyn Dominguez 47-field goal, 1:48
SECOND QUARTER
Artesia- Jack Byers 1-run (Dominguez kick good), 9:02
Hobbs- Demarcus Hill 83-run (Beaty kick good), 8:37
Artesia- Byers 1-run (kick failed), 5:37
Artesia- Edel Villa 61-fumble return (Dominguez kick good), 3:18
Hobbs- Hill 35-run (Beaty kick good), 2:20
Hobbs- Beaty 24-pass from Medrano (Beaty kick good), 1:05
THIRD QUARTER
Artesia- Byers 4-pass from Derrick Warren (pass failed), 3:06
FOURTH QUARTER
Hobbs- Medrano 10-run (kick blocked), 11:46
Artesia- Bryce Parra 36-run (Byers to Julian Baeza pass good), 10:53
Artesia- Parra 24-pass from Warren (Dominguez kick good), 6:07
Artesia- Parra 84-kick return (Dominguez kick good), 3:34
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
Artesia- Parra 18-174; Byers 3-2; Warren 7-(-3); Sawyer Whitehead 1-(-4); Steven Williams 1-(-17)
Hobbs- Hill 13-203; Medrano 13-57; Shamus Wright 4-5; Jesse Nelson 1-(-1)
PASSING
Artesia- Warren 23-36-244-2-0
Hobbs- Medrano 9-20-178-3-0; Conlin McCool 0-1-0-0-1
RECEIVING
Artesia- Byers 5-83; Jett Fuentes 5-48; Cael Houghtaling 3-44; Parra 2-32; Whitehead 3-19; Trent Egeland 5-18
Hobbs- Beaty 4-92; Ortiz 3-55; Justice French 2-31
TEAM STATISTICS
FIRST DOWNS
Artesia 17; Hobbs 10
RUSHING YARDS
Artesia 30-152; Hobbs 31-264
PASSING YARDS
Artesia 244; Hobbs 178
TOTAL YARDS
Artesia 396; Hobbs 442
PENALTIES
Artesia 9-110; Hobbs 19-155
TURNOVERS
Artesia 0; Hobbs 3